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Fighting Infectious Disease

Ideas about development are constantly developing – and thinkers like Dr Mark Dybul are leading the charge.

Leading figures in the Australian aid industry were treated to some of those ideas earlier this year, at the fourth annual Harold Mitchell Development Policy Lecture at the ANU’s Crawford School.

The Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Dr Dybul struck an optimistic note, suggesting that “revolution” that has been taking place in development theory in recent times – and the results are starting to be seen in practice.

When it comes to malaria, HIV and tuberculosis, for example, Dr Dybul argued that we are now “on the right side of the tipping point” due to “the massive investment of the last 15 years”.

“These epidemics are in retreat. We’re seeing declines in new infections and we’re seeing a massive increase in care and treatment which, because they’re infectious diseases, contribute in a significant way to declining new infections. And that’s hugely exciting.”